


never gonna leave you

by brandnewfashion



Category: Check Please! (Webcomic)
Genre: Comfort, Established Relationship, Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-17
Updated: 2016-05-17
Packaged: 2018-06-09 01:26:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,148
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6883393
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/brandnewfashion/pseuds/brandnewfashion
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“I can’t understand why anyone would do something so terrible."</p>
            </blockquote>





	never gonna leave you

**Author's Note:**

  * For [pensversusswords](https://archiveofourown.org/users/pensversusswords/gifts).



> So someone sent me [this ask](http://brandnewfashion.tumblr.com/post/144383319518/for-some-reason-i-want-to-read-a-fic-where-jack) on tumblr a few days ago, and Mar and I got so fired up about it that I decided to write a fic.
> 
> The title comes from the song ["Never Gonna Leave You"](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QStvUTRPoTA) by Adele. 
> 
> Thank you so much to [trickyarchangel](http://trickyarchangel.tumblr.com)/[valmasy](http://archiveofourown.org/users/Valmasy/pseuds/Valmasy) for looking this over!

Jack knows something is off the moment he walks into the locker room. 

His teammates are unusually quiet—their body language tense—and Guy, Marty and Poots are huddled in the corner speaking in very hushed tones.

Before Jack can even get a word out, Tater grabs him by the elbow and drags him out into the hall.

“What’s going on?” Jack asks. 

“Netty is getting divorce,” Tater says solemnly.

“Di— _What_?” Jack says incredulously.  A _divorce_?  “But… He and Amanda seemed so happy.”

“Amanda…  She is with another man.”

Jack has no idea what to say.  He and Bitty had had a barbecue with Netty and Amanda (and a few of the other guys and their significant others) just last week.  It had been great. 

Jack and Netty had gotten especially close after Jack had come out to the team.  Netty had told Jack about his brother coming out—how difficult it was for their parents to come to terms with it—so Netty had a pretty good idea on how hard it must have been for Jack to hide for so long. 

Jack had met Amanda many times.  Netty had always spoken so highly of her, and after Jack came out, Amanda insisted on meeting Bitty.  She and Bitty bonded over their love for baking, so Jack and Bitty were often invited to their house for dinner.  They had seemed like a picture-perfect couple: married for over ten years with two kids and a dog, living in a nice house.  They seemed genuinely happy. “Is Netty here?”

Tater shakes his head. “Coaches gave him day off.” 

“Can I…” Jack finds himself at a loss for words.  He’s acutely aware of the increase in his own heart rate, almost like the beginnings of a panic attack, but—

Tater claps Jack on the back. “You want to call your boy, right?” he says, and Jack nods.  “It’s okay.  I understand.  I tell coaches you will be back soon.”

“Thank you, Tater.”

Tater gives him a small smile before going back into the locker room.

Jack starts dialing Bitty’s number before he even starts making his way to the break room.

 _“Hi, Sweetheart.”_   Jack feels a wave of relief wash over him at the sound of Bitty’s voice.

“Hey,” Jack says, breathless.  

_“Honey, are you okay?”_

“Yeah, I’m fine.  I just… I really wanted to hear your voice.”

 _“We got off the phone a half-hour ago,”_ Bitty reminds him.  

Had it really only been half an hour?  It already feels like days to Jack, but time always seems to pass much too slowly when Bitty isn’t around. “I’m sorry.”

 _“Oh, no!  Don’t be sorry!”_ Bitty exclaims. _“Never be sorry ‘bout that, Jack.  I miss you, too.”_

“Yeah?”

_“I miss you all the time.  Are you sure everything’s okay?  I thought you were supposed to be at practice?”_

“I am.  We’re just getting a little bit of a late start, is all,” Jack replies. “Bits, I… You know I love you, right?”

 _“I do,”_ Bitty says softly. _“And you know I love you.”_

“Yeah, I know.”  He does.  He’s known it for a long time, but it still amazes him when he hears it.  “Do you have a lot of work to do tonight?”

_“I was planning on goin’ to the library after class to finish it.  Why?”_

“Would you mind if I drove up tonight?”  

_“Of course I won’t mind, but are ya sure you’ll be up for the trip?”_

“Yeah, I just really wanna see you,” Jack admits.  He can leave right after practice and get to Samwell around dinner time, and that still gives him over twelve hours to spend with Bitty before he has to drive back for a PR meeting. “I’ll text you when I leave.”

_“Okay.  I’ll see you soon.  Bye, honey.”_

“Bye, Bits.  Love you.”

_“I love you, too.”_

~ ~ ~

Practice passes in a blur.  Jack’s heart isn’t in it, regardless of how hard he tries, but he can tell that he isn’t the only one.  He and the rest of the team have no idea how they’re supposed to handle the situation with Netty—sure, a few of the guys had gotten divorced in the past, but those had all been mutual, and almost all of them amicable, even.

None of them had ever involved one party leaving the other for someone else.

Jack knows there really isn’t much he can do to help, but that doesn’t stop him from wishing that there were.  He doesn’t know how acceptable it is to send a text, but after a long internal debate, he sends one anyway.  He doesn’t expect a response, so he's surprised when he gets one a few minutes later.

**Jack [3:02 PM]: I’m here if you need anything  
Netty [3:07 PM]: Thanks man.  I appreciate it **

Practice is over soon after that, and Jack practically runs to the locker room and takes the quickest shower of his life so he can get in his car and beat the rush hour traffic.

The Haus is shockingly quiet when he arrives.  He can hear Bitty shuffling around in the kitchen, but he can’t hear the usual music blasting from the attic, and the living room—which usually has a number of hockey players sprawled throughout to watch TV or play video games—is completely empty.

“Bits?” Jack calls out as he rounds the corner into the kitchen.  Bitty is at the sink drying dishes, a freshly baked pie cooling on the window sill in front of him, and a covered Dutch oven on the counter.   

“Jack!” Bitty puts down the mixing bowl and towel in his hands and then launches himself into Jack’s arms.

Jack catches him easily and drags him into an embrace, breathing in the scent of his hair.  It’s only when he feels Bitty try to move away that Jack relaxes his hold.  He’s mildly disappointed to have to separate, but Bitty just wraps his arms around Jack’s neck and gets up on the tips of his toes and kisses him, and Jack decides that this is _much_ better.

“Hi, honey,” Bitty says after they pull apart.  He’s grinning from ear to ear, and Jack’s sure that the smile on his face is a mirror image of it.

“Hi,” Jack says back.  He places a chaste kiss on Bitty’s forehead. “Where is everyone?”

“Dinner,” Bitty informs.  His fingers play with the short hairs at Jack’s nape, and Jack leans into the touch.  “And then they’re all going to the movies, so we have a few hours to ourselves.” 

“A few hours, eh?”  Jack slides one of his hands down Bitty’s backside and pulls him closer. “What do you think we should do with that time?”

“Well, knowin’ you, you probably jumped into your car after practice without havin’ eaten anything,” Bitty says.

“I’m fine,” Jack insists, but of course that is the moment that his stomach rumbles in protest.

“You’re a terrible liar,” Bitty admonishes.  He kisses him again before reluctantly pulling away.  “Don’t worry.  I’ve got plenty planned for us _after_.”

Jack lets Bitty manhandle him into a chair.  He makes himself more comfortable as he watches Bitty ladle the contents of the Dutch oven into two dishes.

“What did you make?”

“ _Coq au vin_ ,” Bitty says.  “I called your dad earlier today for the recipe, but I’ve never made it before, so I don’t know how it turned out—”

“I’m sure it’s great,” Jack says.

“You haven’t even tried it yet,” Bitty whines, but Jack can tell that he’s pleased with himself.

“I don’t have to.  Everything you make is amazing.”

“You’re ridiculous,” Bitty says, but there’s a faint blush on his face.  He sets the dishes on the table and Jack’s stomach rumbles again at the sight.

“I’m ridiculously in love with you,” he says.  Jack can’t believe that Bitty had gone through the trouble of making one of his favorite foods from home.  He has no idea what he’s done to deserve this man, but Jack’s grateful for it all the same. Bitty looks like he’s about to chirp him again for his comment, but Jack just pulls him onto his lap and kisses him.

“Thank you,” Jack says sincerely.  

Bitty smiles. “You’re welcome.”

~ ~ ~

Dinner, as expected, is nothing short of incredible.  The food is delicious, and afterwards, Jack helps Bitty with the dishes despite the other man's protests.  Jack listens intently as Bitty tells him about his day, the new plays he's coming up with for the team, and the history class he's taking.  Afterwards, they dig into the blueberry pie while standing at the counter, crowded against each other. 

It's pleasant and comfortable and it doesn't matter that they're in the haus instead of Jack's apartment because as long as Bitty is around, Jack feels at _home_.  

Bitty takes Jack by the hand and leads him up the stairs to his bedroom.  As soon as Bitty locks the door, he turns to Jack and takes his hand. “What’s on your mind?”

“Huh?”

“Somethin’s been bothering you.  You sounded… _distressed_ on the phone earlier, and you’ve been preoccupied ever since you got here,” Bitty explains. “You don’t have to—I mean, don’t feel pressured to tell me if you don’t want to yet, but if I can help… well, I’d like to.”

Jack sighs and sits down on the edge of the bed.  “I’m sorry.  I want to tell you.  I’ve just been trying to figure out _how_.”

“You don’t have to sugarcoat it for me,” Bitty assures, standing between Jack’s legs.  He places his hands on Jack’s shoulders, kneading at the tension there. “Just rip it off.  Like a Band-Aid.”

“Right.”  Jack takes a deep breath before finally saying: “Netty and Amanda are getting divorced.”

Bitty freezes. “What?” 

Jack stares down at his clenched fists.  “Amanda cheated on him.”

Jack looks back up when he feels Bitty move away and walk over to his desk.  He watches Bitty grab his phone and furiously tap away at his screen for a few seconds before climbing onto the bed and into Jack’s lap. 

“What did you just do?”

“I blocked Amanda Bennett on Twitter,” Bitty says simply. “See if I ever send her another one of my pie recipes.”  

Jack smiles, but even he knows it isn’t a very convincing one.

Bitty brings his hands up to Jack’s face, brushing his hair away from his forehead. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I just… I’ve heard of people doing things like that, but I’ve… It’s never happened to anyone I know.”

Bitty nods and waits for him to go on.

“I can’t understand why anyone would do something so terrible,” Jack says.  He knows he sounds angry, but the anger and frustration has been building up inside of him all day. “It’s so… awful.  Netty doesn’t deserve that.  No one deserves that.”

“How’s he handling it?” Bitty asks.

Jack shrugs. “I don’t know, but I texted him earlier.  I know there isn’t much else we can do, but…”

“I’m sure he knows.” Bitty kisses his forehead.  “I wish I had something more useful to say,” he adds remorsefully.

“Me too,” Jack says, but then backtracks. “I mean, I wish _I_ had—not you—I—fuck.”  He’s never been good with words, but Bitty patiently waits for him to finish.  Jack moves back and looks him in the eye covers Bitty’s hands with his.  “Bits, you know I… You know I’d never…” he trails off, unable to make himself even _say_ the words, but Bitty seems to understand—if the way his eyes widen with alarm is any indication.   

“Oh, sweetheart.”  Bitty pulls Jack close and kisses him, and Jack lets himself get lost in it—the feeling of Bitty’s lips moving against his, their hands clutched tight between them. 

Jack pours his heart and soul into this simple kiss, hoping that his actions can convey what he wants to say more effectively than any words can. 

It feels like hours before they finally part—Jack knows, of course, that it couldn’t have been any longer than a minute, but he already feels a huge weight come off his shoulders.

“Jack,” Bitty says, holding him close. “I love you.  I love you and I trust you.”

“I love you, too,” Jack says.  He wraps his arms around Bitty’s waist and buries his face in the crook of Bitty’s neck.  “More than anything.”

“And that’s why I _know_ that you would never do that to me,” Bitty murmurs.

Jack closes his eyes and lets himself relax in as Bitty whispers endearments and sweet nothings into his ear, and peppers kisses all over his face.  He lets him.  Jack feels safe and loved and _happy_ —the happiest he’s ever been in his life—and it’s all because of Bitty.

Jack will be damned if he ever lets him go.  

**Author's Note:**

> I made up the character of "Netty" because I couldn't even bear to make any of the actual Falconers have to deal with a significant other cheating on them.


End file.
